77     '^ 


Duke   University   Libraries 

A  bill  to  provi 
Conf  Pam  #269 


[House  Bill  No.  391.] 

HOUSE  OF  REKRESENTATIYES,  Feb.  25,  I860.— Ordered  to 
be  printed.  \    /^    •  ^-- 

[By  Mr.  Perkins.] 


A    BILL 

To  provide  Means  to  jHiy  the  Army  and  Navy,  and  carry  on  the   War. 


1  Section  1.   The  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  Arae- 

2  rica  do  enact,  That  all  raw  cotton  and  all  tobacco,  manufactured 

3  or  unmanufactured,  now  in  the  Confederacy  may  be  purchased, 

4  borrowed  or  impressed  for  public  use  under  the  direction  of  the 
o  President,  on  the  following  terms  :  Either  just  compensation  to 
(i  be  paid  to  the  owner  for  the  same,  at  a  price  agreed  or  ap- 
7  praised  iiccording  to  the  value  thereof,  in  specie,  such  payment 

5  being  made  in  bonds  of  the  government  at  par,  which  bonds 
0  shall  be  issued  by  the  Secretary  ol  the  Treasury  and  shnll   be 

10  redeemable  five  years  after  the  end  of  the  present  war,  and  shall 
J  1  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of  six  pei-  crntnm  jier  aiiiiiim  pay.'ibh'  in 

12  specie  semiannually;  or,  at  the  option  of  the  owner,  the  cotton  -r 

13  tobacco  to  be  returned  in  kind  o<  equal  quantity  and  (piality.at 

11  the  same  place,  one-third  thereof  within  two  years  alter  the  end 
15  of  tlie  present  war,  and  one-third  in  each  of  the  two  .s)ioe,eeu)i»g 
l()  years,. with  an  ad<lition  to  the  quantity  at  the  rate  <»/  .six   [^^.er 


2 

17  centum  per  annum,  the  owner  being  furnished  with  an  assign- 

1 H  able  certificate  to  that  etfect ;  but  not  more  than  one-half  of  the 

19  cotton  or  tobacco  belonging  to  said  owner  shall  be  impressed 

•20  under  this  act,  and  the  cotton  now  owned  by  .any  manufacturer 

21  of  cotton  and  held  by  him  bona  fide  for  his  manufacturing  ope- 

22  rations,  not  exceeding  a  proper  suppl}'  for  two  years  of  such 
2-3  operations,  shall  be  exempt  from  such  impressment. 

J  Sec.  2.   If  it  shall   become  necessary  to  impress  any  cotton 

2  or  tobacco  under  this  act,  the  quantity  of  cotton  so  impressed 

IJ  shall,  as  nearly  as  the  Seci'etary  of  the  Treasury  shall  deem  prac- 

4  ticabie,  bear  the  same  proportion  to  the  whole  amount  of  cotton 
.*)  in  the  Confederacy,  as  the  quantity  of  tobacco  so  impressed 
C)  shall  bear  to  the  whole  amount  of  tobacco  in  the  Confederacy. 

1  Sec.  3.    In  case  of  any  such  impressment,  the  agent  of  the 

2  government  making  the  imj)ressment  may  take  possession  of  the 
'S  cotton  or  tobacco  at  any  time,  without  removing  it.  and  hold  it 
i  until   the  price  sluill   be  ;igro4;d  or  appraised  as  aforesaid,  and, 

5  upon  the  price  being  so  agreed  or  appraised  and  compensation 
()  being  made  or  tendered,  according  to  this  act,  the  property  shall 
7  vest  in  the  govermnent,  notwithstanding  any  appeal  from  the 
s  appraisement. 

1  Sec.  4.     Unless  such  price  shall   bi?  agreed  upon   between 

'   2  such  agent  and  tiie  owner,  the  sanif;  shall   be  appraised  by  two 

• ;{  disinterested  and  loyal  citizens  of  the  city,  county,  district  or 

4  parish  in.  which  the  impressment  shall  be  made,  one  to  be  select- 


5  ed  by  such  agent  and  the  other  by  the  owner,  or,  if  the  owner 

6  fails  to  make  a  selection  within  two  days  after  being  requested 

7  by  such  agent  in  writing  to  do  &o,  both  shall  be  selected  by  such 

8  agent,  and  if  tht^  two  so  selected  shall  disagree,  they  shall  choose 

9  an  umpire,  of  like  qualifications,  and,  two  of  the  three,  concur- 

10  ring  shall  make  the  appraisement.     They  shall  certify  in  writing 

11  the  quantity,  description  and  quality  of  the  cotton  or  tobacco 

12  and  the  amount  to  be  paid  as  jiist  compensation  for  the  same, 

13  imder  this  Act,  and   shall   deliver  one  such  <;ertificate  to  the 

14  owner  and  iiiiothor  to  such  agent.     If  the  agent  approves  the 

15  appraisement  he  shall  make  the  compensation  according  to  this 
IG  Act.  But  either  the  agent  or  the  owner,  before  accepting  the 
17  con)pensation,  may  take  an  appeal  from  the  appraisement  to  the 
IS  Board  of  (Commissioners  for  the  State?,  appointed  under  the  Act 

19  to  regulate  impressments,  approved  March  2(),  JS63,  who,  after 

20  hearing  the  parties  and  their  evidence,  shall  decide  the  matter 

21  in  dispute,  and  iheir  decision  ishall  be  final.     They  shall  certify 

22  their   decision    as   the   appraisers   nrv.    required  to  certify,  and 

23  compensation  shall  be  made  accordingly.     If  there  shall  be  a 

24  dispute  as  to  the  quantity  of  cotton  or  tobacco  liable  to  imj^ress-, 

25  ment,  it  shall   be  determined   in  the  same  manner.     The   ap- 

26  praisers,  before  entering  upon  their  duties,  shall  take  an  oath 

27  or  aflirmation  to   perform    their  duties  impartially  and  to  the 

28  best  of  their  skill  and  judgment. 

1         Sec.  5.   No  tax  shall  be  collected  on  cotton  or  tobacco  trans- 


4 

2  ferred  to  the  government  before  the  first  day  of  June  nert,  eaet 

ti  of  the  Mississippi  river,  or  before  the  first  day  of  August  next, 

4  west  of  that  ri^'er,  and  the  tax  on  an  amount  of  the  same  article 

5  remaining  in  the  hands  of  the  owner  equal  to  the  amount 
<i  voluntarily  so  transferred  before  those  dates  respectively,  shall 
7  be  remitted  for  the  year  1865. 

1  Sec.  6.    The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  under  the  direction 

2  of  the  President,  may  appoint  a  principal  agent  in  each  State, 
;i  and  siK'ti  other  agents,  not  liable  to  military  service  in  the  field, 

4  as  he  shall  deem  necessary  to  carry  this  act  into  eftect  under 

5  hiis  instructions.     Th(!y  shall  give  such  bonds  as  he  shall  require 

6  and  shall  be  coiiipensated  by  such  commissions  or  allowances  as 

7  he  shall  prescribe  in  proportion  to  the  amounts  of  cotton  and 

8  tobacco  obtained  and  reduced  into  the  secure  possession  of  the 

9  goveinment,  or  sold  through  their  agency. 

1  Skc.  7.    The  President  may  cause  any  cotton  or  tobacco  be- 

2  longing  to  the  government  to  be  used  or  manufactured  for  the 
'i  use  of  the  army  and  navy,  or  to  be  sold  or  exch;«nged  or  to  be 
•i  qsed  to  support  the  credit  of  the  government,  and  to  carry  on 
T)  the  war,  in  such  manner  as  he  shall  deem  proper. 


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